Cologne Cathedral

Overview

Cologne Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany, and the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. It houses the Shrine of the Three Kings, a golden shrine that Catholic tradition regards as holding the remains of the Magi, the wise men who followed a star to visit the newborn Jesus in the Christian nativity account. Daily Masses are celebrated, and the cathedral receives millions of visitors each year. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Present

Cologne Cathedral is an active Catholic cathedral administered by its cathedral chapter within the Archdiocese of Cologne, and it hosts the major liturgies of the archdiocese. Masses and prayer services take place daily. Pilgrims visit the Shrine of the Three Kings behind the high altar, especially around the feast of Epiphany on 6 January, which commemorates the visit of the Magi. A permanent cathedral workshop, the Dombauhütte, repairs and maintains the building continuously, replacing stone weathered by age and air pollution, so parts of the exterior are usually covered in scaffolding.

Religious Significance

Christian veneration at Cologne Cathedral centers on the relics of the Three Kings, also called the Magi or Wise Men. In the account given in Christian scripture, the Magi followed a star from the East to Bethlehem to honor the newborn Jesus, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Catholic tradition regards the remains kept in the cathedral's golden shrine as those of the Magi. The relics were taken from Milan in 1164, after the city was conquered by Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, and were brought to Cologne by its archbishop, Rainald of Dassel. Their arrival made Cologne one of the major pilgrimage destinations of medieval Europe, and the present cathedral was begun in order to house them.

The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, and the feast of Epiphany is its principal celebration. It also holds the Gero Cross, a monumental oak crucifix from the 10th century that is itself an object of veneration.

History & Structure

Cologne Cathedral was begun in 1248 to replace an older cathedral and to house the relics of the Three Kings, which had drawn growing numbers of pilgrims since 1164. The Gothic choir was consecrated in 1322. Construction slowed and stopped around 1560, leaving the cathedral unfinished for almost three centuries, with a medieval wooden crane standing on the stump of the south tower. Building resumed in 1842 using the surviving medieval plans and was completed in 1880. The twin spires rise 157 meters. During the Second World War the cathedral was hit by aerial bombs and heavily damaged, but the structure stood, and repairs continued into the postwar decades. The Shrine of the Three Kings, a sarcophagus of gilded silver and copper decorated with enamel and gemstones, was made between about 1190 and 1225. Cologne Cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Additional Resources

• Official website: Kölner Dom
• Related: Shrine of the Three Kings, Cologne Cathedral (Smarthistory)
• UNESCO: Cologne Cathedral